The Master's of Art WebQuest

Introduction

What is art? Art, is a creation that can come in many different forms and can have many different meanings to people. To me, art is a way of expressing feelings, a way to explain yourself without using words..I now ask you to think, what is art to you? This webquest will focus on three different art movements including Post-Impressionism, Surrealism, and Pop Art. Each art movement is extremely different from the other and has a different group of artists that painted in that style.

The academic standards addressed in this project include:
1.8.11.A – Select and refine a topic for research. Locate information using appropriate resources and strategies. Determine valid resources for researching the topic, including primary and secondary sources.
3.7.12.E- Analyze the effectiveness of on-line information resources to meet the needs for collaboration, research, publications, communications and productivity.
9.2.12.A- Explain the historical, cultural and social context of an individual work in the arts.

Post-Impressionism
Post-Impressionism was a movement in art that represented both an extension of Impressionism and a rejection of that style's inherent limitations. It enabled artists to add his/her own style to the painting without being tied down to the strict style of Impressionism.

Surrealism
Surrealism originated as a literary movement that experimented with a new mode of expression called automatism, which sought to release the unbridled imagination of the subconscious.

Pop Art
Pop art was developed as a reaction against Abstract Expressionism. It favored figural imagery and the reproduction of everyday objects, such as Campbell Soup cans, comic strips and advertisements.

Task

Did you ever wonder what it would be like to be one of the great painters? Your quest will take you into the lives of a painter from various art movements and provide you with a greater knowledge of what his work was about. You will be taking a look at three different art movements, and have a choice as a group to pick one artist from each movement to research. The topics include Post-Impressionism with your choice of artists including Vincent Van Gogh, Paul Cézanne, or Paul Gauguin. Surrealism with your choice of artists including Salvador Dali, Marcel Duchamp, or Max Ernst. And lastly Pop Art with your choice from artists Andy Warhol, Roy Lichtenstein, or David Hockney. Once you have gathered your information, as a group you will be responsible for presenting your findings via powerpoint presentation to the class. The powerpoint slideshow should be informative and attractive and should showcase all that you have learned on your quest. Throughout your quest you will be required to answer some questions about the art movements and the artist you choose, but be sure to be creative and add any information about the times and people that you find interesting.

Questions to be answered:

Questions for each art movement:

1.) In what year and where did this art movement start?
2.) What were the major characteristics of the paintings in this movement?
3.) Who was the major artist(s) that influenced this movement?

Questions for each artist chosen?

1.) In what year and where was this artist born?
2.) What was this artists’ greatest contribution to his particular art movement?
3.) Roughly how many pieces of art did the artist make during his lifetime? How many pieces were actually sold while the artist was still alive?
4.) Pick one piece of work from the artist and describe it as a group. What does everyone see in it? Why did everyone choose this piece? In what year was this piece made? Where is this piece today (ex. Modern Museum of Art etc.)?

Ready? Let's get started.. Choose from the links below to help you start your adventure. The process section will provide you with links to help you get started on your hunt for information.